Tu

I’m 943413725 seconds young

About: unpigeonholeable, so I would much rather not try and tax my brain in terms of self-description, for your convenience.

Steven Tu with Tu by DuncanBoxie

Tu is a designer that has made his presence felt on Springleap.com!
Whether it be his clever AV Mouse design, or his local South African classic, Freedom Walker, Tu brings a level of originality that is undeniable.
Lets find out more about him and how he feels about the state of the South African design industry.

1. What is undoubtedly the best experience of your life?

Wow, this is such a tough one. Is it personal achievement? Is extreme adrenaline? Is it friends and family? Is it a period in my life?

2. What do you feel is the future of South African design?

“n Boer maak n plan”. That is the beautiful attitude that makes SA design stand out. We have become known collectively as the country who’s done the most with the least budget – the creative industry in SA is rife with “rustic” creations that achieve phenomenal results with clients that wants the world for a pittance, and we seem to be able to deliver. So with the rise of recognition in the local creatives through initiatives such as Design Indaba and Springleap, creatives and designers will certainly get the support they need to bring world class ideas to life.

3. What would you say is your best source of inspiration these days?

Pop culture has always been my best source of ideas and ideation. These days I draw a lot from the world of gaming and technology. TED talks gives tons of insight into some of the most intelligent, obscure and beneath-the-surface fields known to mankind. Otherwise, just chatting with friends can be an endless font of new perspectives and ideas!

4. Do you feel that South African design has its own unique edge, or do you think we follow too closely to the international movers and shakers?

My answer to question 2 seems to have already answered this, but I do have this to say specifically – design should not only be seen as culturally divided. Sure, cultural sensitivity is important, but sometimes a solution to a problem does not have to have cultural bearings. I believe there is a move towards ultimately human-centred design rather than culturally-specific-people-centred design. But South African designers clearly have their own distinguishing marks, simply look at our culturally-reflective graphic designs to see how. It is not a method I subscribe to, but it is certainly there.

5. Have you ever had to fend off man eating predators?

Back in my magazine days, the Otaku kids can be quite predatory. Otherwise Hyde Park is a good alternative to the Kruger National Park to experience man-eater dodging. No, jokes aside, I’ve gone toe-to-toe with giant hairy tarantulas the size of my palm. Twice. Both times with golf sticks.

6. We know you are big into your video games, what are your top 5 of all time?

All time?
This is difficult. I will venture a list of five at the risk of making some of my still favourite games cry (in no particular order cos I love them all equally):
1 – Final Fantsy III (This was Final Fantasy VI in the west, and was the last FF game on the Super Nintendo system)
2 – Tekken 6
3 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
4 – Tetris Attack (also Super Nintendo)
5 – Braid

7. Tell us more about your role as the marketing manager for Asus, how does it differ from your positions in the past?

Well, marketing management means a whole myriad of responsibilities, from marketing budgets to in-store displays to social media management. But most of all it’s taken me from a pure executional role that I’ve had in the past creating banners and websites and parts of a whole, to now having to conceptualise and take charge of entire brand identities, campaigns, from the big idea down to the smallest details of funding and design. There as much new freedom as there are new constraints, now working in a global conglomerate. Come say hi at the ASUS South Africa Facebook page, you’ll find there some of the coolest, most deranged and most original stuff an IT company could offer.

I am still going to get back into the art side of things, that is after I’ve fully settled into this new job and have spare clock cycles in my brain to think about things other than learning the fiscal budget. Keep a look out on my facebok page (www.facebook.com/thesteventu)!

8. What tips would you give aspiring local artists who are trying to make a name for themselves?

Take control of your social media, it’s ‘step-one’ to creating a name for yourself. Get on Facebook, start tweeting, have a site, don’t be shy. Don’t EVER be shy. Be friendly! Then, just believe firmly in what you want to do, and make sure you keep doing it, and do it well. The more you do what you do well, the more people will see it. Love is a powerful force, in fact, there is that quote: Love is work made visible. So make your love for your passions visible! It’s time to shine!

9. What is the wildest thing you have ever done?

I once stole a poster just inside of Monte Casino, and the security saw and told me to come back, at which point I ran to my car, then the security wouldn’t let me go. I ignored her through my rolled-up window, and drove away. Just outside of Monte, a security vehicle AND a metro police car pumped sirens and flashed lights, pulled me over, and a security guard with an AK firmly in hand nervously walked over, joined by the metro cop with his hand on his pistol too. It was pretty twilight-zoney. They spoke to me and I described what happened – it was over a poster, and they didn’t believe me. A few radio exchanges later they let me go, rather irratatedly. I had to return the poster

In hindsight, it wasn’t even such a pretty poster.

Oh, and I had a girl in the passenger seat all this time, positively crapping her pants.

10. How do you feel design can influence society for the better?

Design is about a way of thinking – or rather, thinking at all. Design isn’t just about pretty pictures and clear diagrams. Design thinking is always there to influence society for the better. For example, ASUS’s Bamboo Collection of laptops is designed and built with 25% bamboo, the most renewable resource in the world (blatant relevant punt) (having great design thinking is one of the reasons I took the job at ASUS. I wouldn’t take one at, say, HP or Acer.). TED has always highlighted what design thinking has done for people of all ilks. Right now I’m giving some thought to the plight of how design can help street vendors to become more efficient and less disruptive, taking the cop’s targeting reticules off them, while still maintaining their entrepreneurial spirit.

On a more pragmatic level, design unclutters, design simplifies. And in this day and age, we could all do with a little less clutter and mess. We should all strive to live simpler and work with less rather than more, both from a ecological and economical point of view, and a self-empowering point of view. The less things (appliances, clothes, furniture, policies, subscriptions, blah) you rely on, the more you have time and resources to do more with your life!

Awesome stuff Tu! It’s great getting to know one of our top designers better ;) shoutBack on 20/10/10 by amyabrahams

Hey Tu, as a fairly new member of the Springleap team (heading up sales since mid-August), it was so wonderful to read about you. Must say, your interview was as fascinating and inspiring as your designs! Thanks for taking the time to share with us. shoutBack on 20/10/10 by CathRon

great interview Tu – you’re a legend! shoutBack on 20/10/10 by Eric